Mazda MX-5 review – interior and tech

The MX-5’s interior has always been a squeeze for taller drivers. The last-gen NC improved things somewhat but the smaller, lighter ND is definitely back to being a bit more cramped than you’d like. The cabin is both quite narrow and short, meaning drivers with generous proportions in either direction will find the MX-5 a little challenging. Approaching 6 foot and want to wear a helmet for track work? It’ll be a roof down affair, unless you want to tilt your head.

Despite the generous drop on entry the seat is still a little too high in relation to the rest of the cabin, which exacerbates the issue. It’s not likely helped by the compact dash and low windowline, but it still feels like the ideal hip point is probably an inch or so lower than the seat can go, making one feel almost perched atop the MX-5, rather than totally nestled within. The seats could be more supportive too, though the Alcantara on the Recaro seat centres is at least grippy.

Once inside and settled, the cabin design is a marvel of ergonomic common sense, especially in the hidden-within-menus, haptic, touch-controlled hellscape that is the average car’s cabin in 2024. Essential controls are reduced to a bare minimum and those that remain are clear and easy to use, with confident physical hardware. It does lack the opulence of Mazda’s newer cabins, such as in the Mazda 3, but remains a strong element of the MX-5’s overall package.

On the move, the experience inside is dominated by two elements. The first is the round, thin and firm steering wheel that feels great in the hands, even it it feels too big for the car and cuts into your view out of the windscreen. The other is the three clear and perfectly placed dials in front of you. The left-hand dial is one solid colour screen in high-specification models, and although it doesn’t have a huge amount of functionality, it re-emphasises the work Mazda has been putting into its detailing.

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The new infotainment system is also good – maybe not sophisticated to the standards of the very best German units, but perfectly intuitive and feature rich for a small sports car. The new 8.8-inch touch sensitive display does not thankfully dispense with the rotary controller. In fact, the touch controls only work when stationary – an unlikely acquiescence to common sense for a 2024 car interior. CarPlay and Android Auto are standard if you want to bypass the standard interface, too.  At this point, the analogue dials, as with the dynamics, are a refreshing change of pace.

All MX-5s feel well finished and solidly screwed together, with the entry-level Prime-line model trimmed in black cloth which can be upgraded to leather in Exclusive-line trim. The top-spec Homura gets the leather and Alcantara Recaro sports seats and stainless steel sill plates.